The Internet provides a global network of communication and also a venue for deceptive marketing and advertising. From advertisers selling you cheap Viagra, to scammers promising you Nigerian Money Offers, to being announced the monthly winner of a foreign Lottery Club. You may wonder what made the top ten 2006 list of Internet scams.
The top ten Internet scams as listed by the National Consumers League’s (NCL) Fraud Center, in 2006 included:
1. Online Auctions: Misrepresented or undelivered goods
2. General Merchandise: Misrepresented or undelivered goods not purchased through auctions
3. Fake Check Scams: Consumers used fake checks to pay for sold items, and asked to have the money wired back
4. Nigerian Money Offers: Deceptive promises of large sums of money, if consumers agreed to pay the transfer fee
5. Lotteries: Asking winners to pay before claiming their non-existent prize
6. Advance Fee Loans: Request a fee from consumers in exchange of promised personal loans
7. Phishing: Emails pretending to represent a credible source, ask consumers for their personal information (e.g. credit card number)
8. Prizes/Sweepstakes: Request a payment from consumers in order for them to claim their non-existent prize
9. Internet Access Services: Misrepresentation of the cost of Internet access and other services, which are often not provided
10. Investments: False promises of gains on investments.
The top ten Internet scams as listed by the National Consumers League’s (NCL) Fraud Center, in 2006 included:
1. Online Auctions: Misrepresented or undelivered goods
2. General Merchandise: Misrepresented or undelivered goods not purchased through auctions
3. Fake Check Scams: Consumers used fake checks to pay for sold items, and asked to have the money wired back
4. Nigerian Money Offers: Deceptive promises of large sums of money, if consumers agreed to pay the transfer fee
5. Lotteries: Asking winners to pay before claiming their non-existent prize
6. Advance Fee Loans: Request a fee from consumers in exchange of promised personal loans
7. Phishing: Emails pretending to represent a credible source, ask consumers for their personal information (e.g. credit card number)
8. Prizes/Sweepstakes: Request a payment from consumers in order for them to claim their non-existent prize
9. Internet Access Services: Misrepresentation of the cost of Internet access and other services, which are often not provided
10. Investments: False promises of gains on investments.
Source: http://www.spamlaws.com/internet-fraud-stats.html
